Remembering Myles Neuts, 25 years later

By Pam Wright Local Journalism Initiative pamwrightlji@gmail.com

Myles Casey Benson

Neuts loved deeply in his 10 years on earth, with Newfoundland dogs and sports cars on his list of favourite things.

His parents Mike and Brenda Neuts discovered two of their thoughtful son’s wishes upon reading his journal following the boy’s shocking death 25 years ago in a bullying incident at the former St. Agnes School in Chatham.

The incident, which became the subject of an intense police investigation and a coroner’s inquest, occurred on Feb. 6, 1998. An unconscious Myles was discovered hanging by his shirt collar and a necklace on a hook on the back of a door in a washroom stall.

He died after he was removed from life support six days later.

The family’s pain was raw and all encompassing.

“We couldn’t bring ourselves to read the journal until a couple of months later,” Mike said in a recent interview with The Chatham Voice. “We found out he wanted us to rescue another big, black Newfoundlander. His other wish was for his mother to get a sports car and drive him to school with the top down.”

The couple has done their best to honour Myles’ wishes. They are on their fourth Newfoundland rescue pup and they also bought a Pontiac Sol- stice for Brenda to drive.

“It’s kind of our way of keeping a promise to Myles,” Mike explained.

But the couple has honoured their beloved firstborn in a much larger way. Mike began telling Myles’ story at area schools. In 2005, Mike and Brenda founded the Make Children Better Now charity. The acronym for the non-profit aligns with Myles’ initials.

For more than two decades, Mike has carried his son’s story out into the world, bringing its anti-bullying message to more than 200,000 children across Canada.

He’s received nearly 20,000 letters and cards from children and teens detailing how Myles’ story touched them.

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